With Open Arms
by Gothicthundra
Summary: post battle in DH. Neville leaves the castle for air and comes across a certain dreamy eyed girl who helps him sort out thoughts of a differnt kind.


This is my second HP story, my first one I deleted, which was very stupid because a lot of people liked it. . . oh well.

**With Open Arms**

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Neville left the great hall and went to the outside quickly. He couldn't deal with all the death, it was too much. He walked past his gram who was helping by pulling a young child in with Ron. He needed air, his mind was racing with everything that had happened in the past hour. Voldermort was finally gone and everyone was filling with mixed emotions of joy, sadness, lost, and fear. He walked down the hill side and headed off near the lake to his normal spot by the large oak tree.

He felt like he was looking for someone, but he really couldn't remember who. He grimaced feeling like his memory problems where coming back again now that the battle was over. As he made his way through a patch of trees to the lake, he took more precaution. There was no telling if their where death eaters still hanging around, possibly hiding. He heard a noise a head and pulled out his wand, he wasn't sure if he should just turn back. He put his wand away as he got to the tree and saw long, light blonde, wild hair off the side of the tree.

"Hello Neville." came the never changing voice of Luna Lovegood.

"Hey Luna, what are you doing here?" asked Neville as he sat next to her by the tree.

"The same reason your here, to get air." she said calmly, her eyes not leaving the water as the sun was beginning to rise.

"Oh." said Neville and then a long moment of silence followed.

"Your eye looks better." said Luna, glancing at Neville.

"What happened to your forehead?" asked Neville, concerned as he saw a cut on her forehead that was bleeding.

"Oh its nothing, I fell when Mrs. Weasley pushed me and Ginny out of the way." said Luna, focusing on the water.

"Oh... does it hurt?" asked Neville.

"It did before, but now I can't feel it. I'll have a bruise around it in the afternoon tomorrow." said Luna.

Silence again filled the air and Neville was debating on leaving and heading back to the castle. As soon as he thought of that however, a sick feeling came over him and he remembered what was in the great hall. He sighed in frustration at the silence, but almost stopped breathing entirely when Luna's arm wrapped around his and pulled him closer to her.

"Neville, that was very brave of you when you killed Voldermort's snake." said Luna with a smile, but still looking at the water.

"Well Harry did ask me to do it... and ohm." he was struggling to speak, but he couldn't figure it out, _'This is Luna, just Luna.'_

"Still, this whole year you've been really brave." she said, holding him a little tighter, he could feel his face deepen his blush.

"Thanks Luna, so have you. You and Ginny where with me during the DA get togethers." said Neville, his voice slightly higher than usual.

"I know." she said with a shake of her head and she pulled away.

Neville looked at her, her eyes where in her dream state as she looked at the water. He looked at the water where she was and leaned against the tree. It was nice sitting by someone and just relaxing. As he stared at the water his mind seemed to drift away from the battle and on to just watching the sun rise. He looked at Luna, only to see she had been looking at him. He smiled, but she didn't return a smile right away, she seemed to be thinking. He looked back at the water.

"Neville." said Luna, as she put her hand on his cheek, and turned him to look at her.

"Yeah Luna." said Neville calmly.

"I think I love you. Are you okay with that?" she asked calmly.

"Uh.. what?" he had not expected that.

"I'm fairly certain I love you as more than a friend. But before I can truly continue feeling this way and trying to figure it out completely. I need to know that you okay if I love you." she said in thought.

"I really don't know how to respond at this time." he said, in shock.

"Thats okay, take your time. I'm still not completely sure." said Luna, as if they had just a casual conversation.

Neville was now in complete confusion, not only at what she had said but by his own thoughts. He was about to say sure, just for the sake of conversation. He was certain that normal people didn't just go out and tell a person how they feel, he had never prepared himself for something like this. Most people would probably like the openness, but it just confused him.

Luna confused him. Luna with her odd corks and spontaneous thoughts, and now with her question on feelings. She wasn't normal, but neither was he. He looked at her as she continued staring at the water, and he tried looking at her in a different way. She was very pretty and her dream state eyes where stunning once you looked past the way she always stared. She smiled as she looked at the water and then suddenly turned to him.

"So have you thought about it?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

"Uhh, sure it's fine." he said with a sigh.

"Good, because I have fully thought it through as well and have decided I love you. Now all you have to do is see if you feel the same." she said and then continued looking at him.

"Luna, I don't work that way... I can't just think about it and it just pops up in my head like giant lights that tell me." he said hoping to explain.

"It's not?" she asked in a serious question.

"You mean, that's actually how it works with you?" he asked, eyes wide.

"Yes, you see its like it was a picture of you and all the others. Each of them says something with lights or sparks. Friends have the word 'friend' written in glowing green under their name. Yours has that but then there was this weird red light that I really couldn't figure out over the past year. But when I was at the Malfoy's basement, I had more time to think and it started glowing brighter. Then after the battle today it was so bright it hurt when I looked at it, and now I've figured out it says 'LOVE.' How does yours work?" she asked calmly.

"Interesting." said Neville in complete shock. "Well for me. . . uhm. I really don't know."

"How do you decide who your friends are and who are just people being nice or planning something?" she asked, her head tilting a little more.

"Well I just have a feeling when they do something. Like when Harry, Ron, and the others include me in things they do or let me joining them without making fun of me." he said calmly.

"So actions are what makes you decide." she said, her head going upright and a smile.

"I guess." he said rubbing his head, but stopped as it still hurt from the sorting hat incident.

"Alright." she said going back to staring at the water.

"Ohm Luna..." he was cut off.

Luna who had been sitting on the left side of Neville and an inch or two away, had now turned. Her left arm had reached on the other side of him and her face was less than and inch away. Neville's arms lay at his sides and his eyes wide as his body tried to push itself more into the tree. He felt his face get hot as Luna blocked him from moving anywhere. He felt slightly dizzy at being put in this position. He wasn't completely sure at what she was going to do, after all this was Luna.

"Luna." he gulped.

Luna's face moved closer to his and he wide eyes closed. Neville's however seemed to open even more as her lips met his. His hands where clinging to the grass. After a second he felt himself loosen up and his arms move around her. In any normal situation, this would have been fine, but as they where on an angle and neither one of them in a stable position by the high raised tree on a small hill. Luna couldn't support the weight on one arm as the kiss continued. Both of their eyes shot open as they slid and rolled a little ways down the hill and into the shallow part of the water.

"Well that was interesting." said Luna with a smile as she sat up in the water, sea weed in her hair and dripping wet.

"Yup." said Neville calmly, as he was also wet and sitting up.

"Is that how normal people break kisses?" she asked.

"I don't think so." he said fighting back laughter as they both got up.

"Good." she said with a smile as she walked passed him.

"Luna. I'm not sure but." he was cut off again.

"I know." she said with a smile as she took his hand and pulled him out of the water with her.

"Good." he said with a smile, as he went to hug her and she greeted him with open arms.

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**END**


End file.
